Australian wines in London: assessment

Someone is asleep on the watch. And like the Rover Thomas painting (above) of Cyclone Tracy 1974,* the Australian wine industry needs to wake up and hear the warning sirens.

"Who is responsible for the crazy selection of Australian wines on the shelves?" That's the first question I had when surveying the premium Australian wines stocked in wine shops in London.

My cri de coeur led to even more questions:

1. Why are there so many Australian Sauvignon Blancs and Pinot Noir on the shelf?

It's not something Australia excels in. Australia is not New Zealand. Hello. Yes, we do some good Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir but we also do outstanding wines NO ONE ELSE can:

• Hunter Semillon
• Shiraz - cool climate shiraz
• Eden or Clare Valley Riesling
• Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon

But they are hardly to be found.

2. Why is there so much Margaret River wine on the shelf?

Margaret River (photo below) have brilliant wines. Part of the reason is Margaret River has very similar growing conditions to Bordeaux, even to the same latitude and longitude (but on the opposite side of the world, like a mirror). The wines are inherently softer than big, bold Barossa or other South Australian wines.

Margaret River

Is it because premium wine drinkers can only understand Bordeaux here? Perhaps, the palate is educated so it can only understand Bordeaux. But I doubt it; I give wine drinkers more credit that that.

3. Why are apples compared to oranges? ie. Why are generic South Australian reds next to premier cru Bodeaux such as Calon Segur or Mouton?

Premier cru wines are unique compared to just about any wine in the world, even other places in Bordeaux itself. There is an perception here, amongst shops and consumers, along the lines: Australia produces great £10 wines, so why pay anymore?

No one is giving an adequate answer to this question from Australia. There is an element of truth in it, because there are no clear examples of what Australia does best on the shelf.

Australian wines are a victim of their own success in the cheap and cheerful market. But I long to see and taste Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz, Coldstream Hills Riesling or a Mount Pleasant Hunter Semillon. People who should know better don't know these at all. And it's a loss for everyone.

I was even asked, does Australia even have vintages???

I am trying not to take this personally. But I hate ignorance, especially when it is cloaked in authority.

Is this down to the education wine professionals have here? There is only one or two sessions devoted to Australian wines at WSET (the industry qualification everybody must have to work in the industry).

Great wine can't be offered with the depth of knowledge needed for serious wine drinkers. They can't even be in or out of fashion if they are not on the radar.

Or is it not the education, but the wine merchant buyers? Is it the winemakers? Is it that stupid Fosters beer advertising ruining it for everyone?

I not interested in bellicose Australian patriotism - but there's something seriously wrong in the representation of Australian wines in the premium end of the market. It's essentially incorrect.

And quite simply, I miss the taste of eucalypt in my dark dark reds and I think Riesling is a more interesting wine with many exciting stages for ten, twenty years. I am bored of blasting NZ sauvignon blanc (75% of Marlborough is owned by French companies) or their counterparts, Sancerre whites.

Who is in charge here? Is it London wine merchants, the Wine Education Trust, or Australian winemakers?

Cheers.

* Cyclone Tracy was a tropical cyclone that wiped out the city of Darwin, (Northern Territory, Australia) during the night of Christmas Eve, 1974.